Deloitte inaugurates new Gateway headquarters at the airport

Brussels, 19 May 2017

Gateway, the new headquarters of Deloitte Belgium, was officially inaugurated yesterday evening by CEO Piet Vandendriessche. The location of the new office at the airport fits in with the growth and increasing internationalisation at Deloitte. Thanks to Gateway, the company can moreover work more efficiently, reduce its environmental footprint and sustain its mobility policy. An eye catcher at the opening was Stilthouse, a work by Arne Quinze, which will henceforth grace the lobby of the new building.

With Gateway, Deloitte Belgium takes a step toward more internationalisation. Since the integration with activities in other markets such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries, more and more international work is carried out by Deloitte Belgium. International interchange is now made easier as well: from Gateway, you are at the airport departure hall in just a few minutes.

At the same time, the new building is very centrally located in Belgium for customers and employees alike. “Gateway is more than just a building at the airport,” says CEO Piet Vandendriessche. “It shows the international growth and ambition of Deloitte, but also the openness and commitment to make sustainable choices.”

From 4 buildings to 1

Gateway actually constitutes a major step towards a smaller environmental footprint for Deloitte: to begin with, the company is moving from its four former buildings to one central head office, which means that the CO² consumption of the new premises is no less than 40% lower.

Thanks to its location near the airport, the new building is superbly accessible via public transport. There are direct trains to Brussels, Leuven, Antwerp and Ghent, and more than 600 buses operate to and from daily. Furthermore, the move is a reason for Deloitte to devise new solutions for the mobility of its employees, such as the carpool app Commuty or the Go2Work app, developed by and for Deloitte, which shows the fastest way to get to Gateway. At the beginning of February, Deloitte launched a mobility campaign for its employees, featuring various mobility formulas in addition to the company car, such as the bicycle or public transport. Furthermore, the office has a bike parking facility, charging stations for e-cars and pool cars.

Solutions for tomorrow

Modern mobility is a priority for CEO Piet Vandendriessche: “It is an economic and social necessity. We employ 3,500 people and assume our responsibility to think along and work with them on the mobility of tomorrow. Gateway fits perfectly in our vision of mobility.”

In addition, Gateway stimulates cooperation through the organisation and layout of the building. The Innovation Lab is such a cooperation space where Deloitte staff can invite customers to work out the digital solutions of tomorrow. Finally, in the new building a great deal of attention will be paid to wellbeing at work, thanks to the ergonomic offices and fitness facilities with a view of arriving and departing airplanes.

Art at the workplace

The eye catcher at the opening yesterday was the impressive artwork Stilthouse that the artist Arne Quinze worked on in the past weeks. Piet Vandendriessche: “Art starts with a commitment, just as we wish to assume our commitment to society. We can see ourselves in the themes that Arne Quinze works on: dialogue, sustainability, diversity. Furthermore, it provides an inspiring setting for our employees, customers and visitors.”

Arne Quinze is well known for his creations in open spaces in, among other, Brussels, Mons and Ostend, with which he wants to attract the attention of passers-by. Moreover, with his work he wants to bring art into the streetscape. “I put art in places where many people come. People therefore tend to congregate again and engage in dialogue. In addition, through my work, I ask for more attention to be paid to nature conservation and the use of the diversity of nature in the design of our cities.”

Technical information on the building

Architects: Jaspers-Eyers Architects

Surface space: 34,000 m² (without parking or archive floor). It is one of the biggest buildings developed for the private market in Belgium in the last 5 years.

Energy performance: Deloitte opted for BREEAM certification, with a view to an “Excellent” certificate, which is expected at the end of September at the latest. BREEAM is an international standard for assessing the sustainability of master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. Decisive factors include the reduction of carbon emissions, sustainable design, ecological value, etc.

Special technique: The free chilling technique uses the outside temperature to cool the interior of the Gateway building. Thanks to this technique, it is possible to save on mechanical cooling several months per year. Thus, the cold exterior temperature can be used to adjust the temperature of confined meeting rooms when they are being used intensively.

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